nuebling



(NoModeL E. H. 82: G. E. NUEBLING.

TUBE CUTTER \wwmkm's A1494 52% f if UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST H. NUEB-LING AND GEORGE E. NUEBLING, OF READING, PA.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 341,046, dated May 4-,1886.

Application filed February 16, 1886. ScrinlNo. 152,079. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNsr H. NUEBLING and GEORGE E. NUEBLING, citizensof the United States, residing at the city of Reading, county of Berks,State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inBoiler-Tube Gutters, of which the followingis a specification.

This improvement relates to the class of tube-cutters principallyintended for cutting off the tubes while secured in the tube-sheet.

The object of the improvement is to furnish a tool adapted to thepurpose which, while not expensive to construct, will readily out thetubes free from the sheet.

lhe drawings herewith, forming a part of this specification, illustratevery clearly the chief points of our invention, like letters ofreference indicating like parts throughout.

Figure 1 represents in longitudinal sectional elevation our improvedboiler-tube cutter; Fig. 2,an elevation of the operating end of thetool. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation upon the line (I (t ofFig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an end View of the tool, with the cap 0 removed toshow the seats A* for the housingsprings of cutters G; Fig. 5, anenlarged detail sketch of the anti-frictional roller-sleeve end of thetool, showing the spring H in its seat retained by the cap 0, and theconnection of the same with the housings of the cutter, in which Arepresents the shell or body of the tool; A a threaded end for thecombined cap and nut; G, a cap and guide for the inner end of the body;A, a reduced portion providing a seat for the anti-frictionalroller-sleeve; A, recesses sunk in the bore of the inner end, formingseats for the cutter-housing springs, and the shell is cut through atthree equidistant points, A, fitted to form protrusion guides for thehousings G of the cutters G.

B represents the cap-nut threaded at B to fit the body at A having ahexagonal offset, B, and a square offset, B, with a thread, B", adaptedto the feed-screw D.

0 represents the end cap threaded at C to fit the end A of the shell,and acting as a retainer to the anti-friction sleeve F, (the latterbored to play free without looseness on the. reduced portion A of theshell,) and bored at G as a guide to the stem E of the expanders E,having a fiat portion, E, as a guide to the same within the bore of theshell, a counterbore, E 1, for connection with the feed-screw, andaflush screw, E, removably connecting it with the same.

D represents the feedingscrew, provided with a left-hand thread adaptedto the capnut, having a head, D, suitably bored at D", for the means ofholding the screw, at its inner end having a reduced portion, D with agroove, D, in the same, in which the end of the screw E is held, andwhich enables the operator to retract the expansion-bar,and thus permitthe retraction of the cutters within the shell, and the withdrawal ofthe tool from the tube-sheet.

G represents the usual housing for a pipecutter wheel, G, which isrevolubly held in a recess provided therefor by the pin G. A recess, Gis provided as a-seat for the end of the spring H,which has its oppositeend,H, secured in the seats A* by the cap 0. These springs'serve to keepthe wheel-housings G in close contact with the expansion bar, and thusfollow-the movement of the same.

I represents a gage by which the position of the cutters G relative tothe tube-sheet are regulated. It is an annular ring having an internalflange, I, fitted to a sliding head, J, having a reduced threadedportion, J over which the flange l is slipped, and is retained in placeby an annular nut, K. A set-screw,L, retains the gage in position.

The space M left between the head of the bar E and the cap' end B isadapted to form a reservoir for lubricating material.

The operation of the toolis as follows, (the body of the same beingadapted to the internal diameter of the tube to be operated on:) Thegage I is adjusted so that when resting against the tube-sheet or withthe end of the tube snug against the annular nut K the edge of thecutters shall project the requisite dis tance within the same to cut thetube at the desired point, and the set-screw L tightened up. The body isthen inserted within. the tube, and the same is revolved toward theright by a wrench applied to the square projection B if there is roomfor a complete circuit of the end of the same, if not the wrench istransferred to the hexagonal projection B", which gives an opportunityto operate close up to the shell of the fire or smoke box as the casemay be. lVhile turning the body to the right, as described, the screw Dis held stationary by the other hand. The nut B will then operate todraw the screw within the bore, which will shove the expansion-barforward and drive out the housings and cutters. This alernate feedingforward is repeated as requisite to force the cutters completely throughthe tube while revolving within the same. Very little force is requisiteto do the feeding. WVhen the tube is cut off, the tool is heldstationary, and the motion of the feed-screw reversed. This draws theexpansive head toward the nut, and the springs H, pressing down thehousings G upon the bar, retract the same within the shell until thecutters G are also concealed within the same, when the tool is withdrawnand the operation repeated until all the tubes are freed at one end.\Vhen the tool is transferred to the opposite end of the boiler, and asthe several ends are cut the tubes drop in the boiler and are removedtherefrom by the usual hand-holes provided therefor.

It will be seen that our tube-cutter is simple in its construction,without liability to disarrangement of parts, the strain upon the samewell sustained, and it is easily operated. \Ve prefer to make theexpansion-bar E, housings G, cutters G, and anti-friction sleeve F ofthe best tempered steel. As expansionbars for forcing radially outwardthe cutters of both boring-and tube-cutting tools are old, we thereforeonly make claim to our special combination of the same with the body ofthe tool.

WVe are aware of much that has been done in this class of tools, andwould refer, as an example, to a patent to Frederick L. Kolberg, No.301,130, July 1, 1884:, our improvement differing from his in that ourgage admits of a wider range of adjustment and requires no temporaryimmovable connection with the tube to be cut, our tool, from the lengthof the shell protruded within the tubes, giving ample support andsteadiness t0 the same, and the anti-friction sleeve F permitting thefree movement of the body within the tube. In the Kolberg case there isno provision for retracting the cutters within the shell, and there willbe a difficulty in withdrawing the tool. This we provide for with ourspring-connection with the cutter-housings, as shown and described.

By a change in the form of cutters to that of expanders our machinecould be adapted to both purposes; but we prefer to retain it as asimple cutter.

Having described our improvement, shown its use and advantages, wedesire to secure by Letters Patent the following claims thereon:

1. The combination, in a tube-cutter, of an expansioabar, its housingsand cutters, as shown and described, with a revolving body, A, providedwith an anti-fricti0n sleeve, F, aretaining-cap, O, and adjustable gageI, with a nut-cap and feeding-screw, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a tube-cutter, as described, and provided witha reduced portion, A, of an anti-friction sleeve, F, retained inposition free to revolve upon the same by the projected flange of thecap 0, as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a tube-cutter, as shown and described, of anadjustable gage, I, having an internal flange, I, removably held upon areduced portion, J, of the head J, by an annular nut, K, and adjustablysecured upon the body A by set-screw L, as and for the purposedescribed.

ERNST H. NUEBLING. GEORGE E. NUEBLING.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. KENNEY, J. H. J AOOBS.

